Method and Apparatus for Securing a Drawer Organizer in a Drawer

ABSTRACT

A drawer organizer assembly includes an insert, for example a silverware tray, that can be inserted into a drawer, for instance a kitchen drawer. The organizer includes an attachment assembly that prevents the organizer from sliding within the drawer. For instance, a connector can be connected to one of the walls that define the interior of the drawer, and the organizer can be removably attached to the connector.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure is generally directed to drawer organizers, andmore particularly to a method and apparatus for securing a drawerorganizer in a drawer.

2. Description of Related Art

Drawers, for instance kitchen drawers, can be conveniently locatedwithin kitchen counters and provide easily storage space for the storageand retrieval of various kitchen items. Drawers are conveniently locatedand particularly suitable for smaller items that are used often. Due tothe frequency with which kitchen drawer contents are accessed, a highpremium is placed on the convenient accessibility of the contents.Furthermore, due the nature of the stored items has, it has becomecommonplace to include an insert, such as a drawer organizer, intocertain kitchen drawers for the organization and storage of variouskitchen implements. For instance, in the case of silverware and othercommon utensils, conventional silverware trays define an interior havinga plurality of dividers to define a corresponding plurality ofsilverware compartments that are sized and configured to store likeitems.

Conventional trays are typically placed into the drawer and rest on thebase of the drawer. Because of the virtually endless variability indrawer sizes, commercially sold drawer organizers that are not customfit for a given drawer must be sized smaller than the drawer in order tofit inside the drawer. Unfortunately, the resulting gap that existsbetween the organizer and the drawer walls causes the organizer to tendto slide within the drawer as the drawer is opened and closed. The usercan be particularly inconvenienced when, for instance, the drawer slidesback in the drawer, requiring that the drawer be more fully opened thanis convenient in order to reach the desired utensil. In more extremecases the user is unable to fully access the silverware tray and itsstored contents without first opening the drawer and then sliding thetray forward within the drawer.

Conventional attempts at solving this problem have proven unsuccessful.For instance, one conventional method involves placing rubber feet onthe bottom of the organizer to increase the friction between the trayand the base of the drawer. This attempted solution has unfortunatelyachieved minimal success in reducing but not preventing the organizerfrom sliding within the drawer. Furthermore, rubber feet increase theheight of the organizer, and thus reduce the clearance between the uppersurface of the organizer and the drawer opening. Another attemptinvolves adhesively securing the organizer to the drawer base.Unfortunately, this prevents the organizer from being easily removedfrom the drawer when, for instance, it is desired to clean or replacethe organizer.

What is therefore needed is a method and apparatus for retaining anorganizer within a drawer while minimizing the likelihood of theorganizer sliding within the drawer.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a drawer organizerassembly is configured for insertion into a drawer of the type having adrawer base and a drawer wall extending up from the drawer base. Thedrawer base and the drawer wall at least in part define a drawerinterior. The organizer assembly includes an insert sized to fit insidethe drawer interior. The insert includes at least one compartmentconfigured to receive and store items. The insert further defines anengagement wall. The organizer assembly further includes a connectorhaving a drawer interface portion and an insert interface portion. Thedrawer interface portion is configured for attachment to the drawer wallin the interior of the drawer to secure the connector to the drawerwall, and the insert interface portion is configured for attachment tothe engagement wall of the insert.

The foregoing and other aspects of the invention will appear from thefollowing description. In the description, references are made to theaccompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which there isshown by way of illustration, and not limitation, a preferred embodimentof the invention. Such embodiment does not necessarily represent thefull scope of the invention, however, and reference must therefore bemade to the claims for interpreting the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is hereby made to the following drawing in which likereference numerals correspond to like elements throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary drawer organizer assemblyincluding a drawer organizer installed in a drawer in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the drawer organizerassembly illustrated in FIG. 1, showing a connector attached to thedrawer organizer;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the drawer organizer illustratedin FIG. 2 showing the attachment of the connector to the drawerorganizer;

FIG. 4 is a sectional side elevation view of the drawer organizerassembly illustrated in FIG. 1 taken along line 4-4;

FIG. 5 is a sectional side elevation view similar to that illustrated inFIG. 4, showing the installation of the drawer organizer assembly;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional side elevation view showing theconnector attached to the drawer and the drawer organizer;

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view illustrating the connector attachedto a side wall of the drawer organizer;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional side elevation view showing theconnector attached to the drawer and the drawer organizer similar toFIG. 6, but with the drawer organizer assembly constructed in accordancewith an alternative embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is an assembly view illustrating the attachment of the connectorshow in FIG. 8 to the drawer organizer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a drawer organizer assembly 20 is providedthat is usable in combination with a drawer 22, which can a conventionalkitchen drawer or the like configured to be slidably mounted intocabinetry 23, such as a kitchen cabinet. The cabinet 23 defines a draweropening 25 that slidably receives the drawer 22 in the usual manner. Thedrawer 22 includes a base 24, a laterally extending front wall 26, anopposing laterally extending rear wall 27 (see FIG. 4) extending up fromthe base 24, and a pair of opposing longitudinally extending side walls28 connected between the front and rear walls, respectively. As willbecome more apparent from the description below, a longitudinaldirection from the front toward the rear can be used synonymously hereinwith a fore-aft direction, and the lateral direction can be usedsynonymously herein with a side-to-side direction. The drawer 22 thusdefines an interior 30 having an open upper end. Accordingly, eachdrawer wall defines an interior surface facing the interior 30 of thedrawer 22, and an opposite facing exterior surface.

A handle 31 can extend from the front wall to slide the drawer 22 intoand out of the cabinetry 23 between a closed position whereby theinterior 30 of the drawer is contained inside the cabinetry 23 and anopen position whereby the front wall 26 is spaced from the cabinetry 23such that interior 30 of the drawer 22 extends outboard of the cabinetryand is accessible to the user. It should be appreciated that while oneexemplary drawer has been illustrated and described herein, it should beappreciated that the drawer organizer assembly 20 of the type describedherein can be used with any suitable drawer or storage space configuredto receive the organizer assembly 20.

The drawer organizer assembly 20 includes an insert 32 and a connector34. Unless otherwise specified herein, the organizer assembly 20 and itscomponents can be formed from any suitable plastic, metal, wood, orother structurally suitable material. In some instances, it may bedesirable that the material is lightweight, scratch and wear resistant,and non-corrosive. The insert 32 can be in the form of any suitabledrawer organizer configured to be inserted into the drawer for thestorage of various items, for instance kitchen implements. Asillustrated in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, theinsert 32 is a silverware tray.

The insert 32 as illustrated has a base 36, a laterally elongate frontwall 38 and an opposing laterally elongate rear wall 40 extending upfrom the longitudinally opposing ends of the base 36. A pair of opposinglongitudinally elongate side walls 42 is connected between the front andrear walls 38 and 40, respectively, and extend up from thelongitudinally opposing ends of the base 36. The base 36 and walls 38-42thus define a longitudinally elongate interior 44 having an open upperend. Accordingly, each insert wall defines an interior surface facingthe interior 44 of the insert 32, and an opposite facing exteriorsurface that faces the corresponding drawer wall when the insert 32 isdisposed in the drawer interior 30.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the insert 32 is sized longitudinally andlaterally shorter than the drawer interior 30. Accordingly, a gap 60 canbe disposed between the rear insert wall 40 and the rear drawer wall 27when the insert 32 is in its forwardmost position inside the drawer 22.Accordingly, when the drawer 22 closes and opens, forces act on theinsert 32 that bias the insert fore and aft within the drawer 22. Whenthe insert 32 is connected to the drawer 22 in accordance with oneaspect of the present invention, the insert 32 extends in a rearwarddirection from the front wall 26 of the drawer 22 toward the rear wall27, and the connection between the insert 32 and drawer 22 withstandsthe biasing forces as the drawer 22 is opened and closed.

A plurality of dividers 46 can be disposed in the interior 44 of theinsert and define a corresponding plurality of pockets (onerepresentative pocket illustrated at 48), As illustrated, the dividers46 can extend laterally or longitudinally between the walls 38-42, andcan connect between opposing walls or can extend partially across theinterior and terminate short of a wall. Accordingly, a portion or all ofthe resulting pockets 48 can be laterally elongate or longitudinallyelongate, and can span the entire distance between opposing walls orspan a portion of the distance between opposing walls. The pockets 48can thus be sized to receive and retain various sized kitchen utensils,such as silverware including forks, knives, spoons, and the like.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that the size, configuration, andnature of the insert 32 can vary without departing from the scope andspirit of the present invention. For instance, the insert 32 can belaterally elongate, need not include any dividers, one or more of thewalls 38-42, and can be essentially any apparatus that fits inside theinterior 30 of the drawer 22 for any suitable purpose. The insert 32 hasbeen illustrated and described herein as a silverware tray in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention for the purposes of clarityand convenience, and because a storage device such as a silverware trayis one example of an insert that benefits from the principles of thepresent invention, it being appreciated that the insert 32 could be anysuitable apparatus configured for insertion and/or storage within thedrawer 22.

Referring to FIGS. 3-5, the connector 34 can be configured as a clipthat releasably joins the insert 32 to the drawer 22 in such a manner soas to prevent the insert 32 from sliding within the drawer 22 as thedrawer opens and closes. Accordingly, the connector 34 has a drawerinterface portion 50 configured to attach to the drawer 22, and aninsert interface portion 52 configured to attach to the insert 32,thereby securing the insert 32 to the drawer 22. The drawer interfaceportion 50 can be in the form of a horizontally elongate vertical wall53 having a front surface facing the corresponding tray wall and anopposing surface facing the insert 32 when the connector 34 is joined tothe drawer 22 and insert 32. The front surface of the drawer interfaceportion 50, for instance, can be attached to the drawer wall via a layerof adhesive 55 that is coated or otherwise adhered onto the frontsurface. A protective strip (not shown) can be provided on the layer ofadhesive in the usual manner and peeled back to expose the adhesive whenit is desired to mount the connector 34 onto the drawer 22. Asillustrated, the connector 34 is attached to the interior surface of thefront wall 26 of the drawer 22 in accordance with one aspect of thepresent invention.

The insert interface portion 52 of the connector 34 can provide a clipor any alternative structure that facilitates connection to the insert32. As illustrated in accordance with one aspect of the invention, theinsert interface portion 52 includes a bent wall 54 extending up fromthe upper end of the vertical wall 53. The bent wall 54 curves rearward(e.g., in a direction towards the drawer interior 30) and towards thecorresponding insert wall when the insert 32 is disposed inside thedrawer 22. The bent wall 54 terminates at a substantially downwardlyextending distal end 56.

The bent wall 54 and vertical wall 53 thus combine to define ahorizontally elongate downwardly facing channel 58 having a thicknesssufficient to receive the upper end of an engagement wall of the insert,for instance the front wall 38 of the insert 32 as illustrated. When theinsert base 36 rests fiat against the drawer base 24, the height of thefront wall 38 relative to the drawer base 24 is greater than the heightof the distal end 56 relative to the drawer base 24, but less than themaximum height of the channel 58 relative to the drawer base.

Accordingly, with continuing reference to FIGS. 4-6, the engagement wallof the insert 32 can be attached to the engagement wall of the insert 22(the front wall 38 as illustrated) by first raising the wall oppositethe engagement wall (e.g., rear wall 40) along the direction of Arrow Aabove the front wall 38 such that the upper, or distal, end 39 of thefront wall 38 is lowered to a position below the distal end 56 of thebent wall 54. The upper end of the front wall 38 is then brought intovertical alignment with the channel 58, and the rear wall 40 issubsequently lowered along the direction of Arrow B to rest on thedrawer base 24, at which point the upper end of the front wall 38 israised into the channel 58. The front wall 38 is thus interlockedbetween the distal end 56 of the bent wall 54 and the vertical wall 53.In this manner, the insert interface portion 50 can be said to “clip”onto the insert wall 38, thus releasably connecting the insert 22 to theinsert interface portion 50.

It should be appreciated that the engagement wall of the insert can beconnected to the insert interface portion 50 in any number of suitablyalternative manners, and all such alternatives are intended to fallunder the scope of the present invention. For instance, the engagementwall can include a projection that is configured to be received in thechannel 58 as described above with respect to the upper end 39 of thefront wall 38. Furthermore, as described in more detail below, theconnector 34 has been described in accordance with one aspect of thepresent invention, it being appreciated that any apparatus suitable forattaching an insert within a drawer, thereby reducing movement of theinsert as the drawer is opened and closed is also contemplated by thepresent invention. In one aspect of the present invention, the connector34 can releasably attach the insert 32 to the drawer 22.

During use, as the drawer 22 is opened and closed, the tendency of theresulting forces to bias the insert 32 forward and rearward within thedrawer 22 is prevented due to the attachment of the insert 32 to theinsert interface portion 50 of the connector 34. In fact, the insert 43is prevented from undergoing any fore-aft motion greater than thetolerance between the channel and the thickness of the upper end 39 ofthe front wall 38. Furthermore, depending on the amount of clearancebetween the channel 58 and the upper end 39 of the front wall 38 (e.g.,the tolerance in the connection between the drawer and the insert 32),the insert 32 may move slightly but be substantially retained inposition such that the user need not manually move the insert 32 to aposition that allows the user to access the tray interior because theinsert 32 moved substantially within the drawer 22.

Nevertheless, because the connector 34 prevents the insert 32 fromsliding to the rear drawer wall 27, or otherwise sliding an amount thatthe forces generating during drawer movement would cause the insert 32to slide if the insert 32 was not connected to the drawer 22, it can besaid that the connector 34 prevents the insert 32 from sliding or movingwithin the drawer 22, and thus operatively couples the insert 32 to thedrawer 22. As illustrated and described above, the connector 34 canprevent the insert 32 from moving in a direction that intersects thefront and rear drawer walls 26 and 27, respectively.

Advantageously, the connector 34 facilitates easy removal of the insert32 from the drawer 22. In particular, when one wishes to remove theinsert 32 from the drawer for the purposes of cleaning or replacement,the front wall 38 is lowered (for instance, by raising the rear wall 40)such that the upper end of the front wall 38 is lowered to a locationbelow the distal end 56 of the bent wall 54. The insert 32 can then bemoved rearward a distance sufficient for the front wall 38 to clear thedistal end 56, and the insert 32 can then be easily removed by liftingthe insert out of the drawer interior 30.

While the connector 34 has been described above as coupling the insert32 to the front wall 26 of the drawer, it should be appreciated that theconnector 34 can alternatively couple any drawer wall to any wall of theinsert 32 for the purposes of preventing movement of the insert 32within the drawer 22 in the side-to-side direction instead of, or incombination with, fore-aft movement. For instance, as illustrated inFIG. 7, the connector 34 could connect one of the side walls 28 of thedrawer 22 to the corresponding side wall 42 of the insert. In thisembodiment, the drawer interface portion 52 connects to the interiorsurface of the side wall 28 in the manner described above, and theinsert interface portion 50 engages the upper end of the side wall 42 inthe manner described above. Side-to-side movement of the insert 32within the drawer 22 is thus prevented in the manner described abovewith respect to for-aft movement.

In addition, one or more locking tabs 62 can be mounted onto the sidewall 28, and project out from the exterior surface of the side wall 28adjacent the connector 34. As illustrated, a locking tab 62 is disposedon either side of the vertical edges of the connector 34 such that theconnector 34 is disposed between the tabs 62. The interference betweenthe tabs 62 and the connector 34 prevents the insert 32 from movingfor-aft within the drawer 22 while the connection between the drawer 22and the insert 32 prevents side-to-side movement of the insert 32 withinthe drawer 22.

It should be further appreciated that the drawer interface portion 52 ofthe connector 34 could be alternatively joined to the rear drawer wall27, and that the insert interface portion 50 could attach to the rearinsert wall 40 in the manner described above to prevent forward fore-aftmovement of the insert 32 within the drawer 22. Alternatively, if theinsert 32 does not have a rectangular configuration, the connector 34can couple virtually any insert wall to the drawer 22 in the mannerdescribed above.

Furthermore, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the connector34 has been illustrated and described above in the form of a clipconstructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention,and that any connector capable of joining an insert disposed within adrawer to the drawer itself, and more particularly to a drawer wall, iscontemplated by the present invention. One such alternative isillustrated in FIGS. 8-9, whereby reference numerals corresponding tolike elements of FIG. 6 are incremented by 100.

In particular, the drawer interface portion 152 of the connector 134 isconnected to the interior surface of the drawer wall (for instance thefront wall 26) via, for instance, the adhesive layer 155 coated orotherwise extending along the vertical wall 153 in the manner describedabove. The insert interface portion 150 includes a bent wall 154extending down from the lower end of the vertical wall 153. The bentwall 154 curves rearward (e.g., in a direction towards the drawerinterior) and towards the insert 32 disposed inside the drawer 22, andterminates at an upwardly extending distal end 156. The bent wall 154thus defines a horizontally elongate upwardly facing channel 158 havinga thickness to receive the upper end of an insert wall, for instance thefront wall 38 of the insert 32.

As further illustrated, the engagement wall of the insert 32 includes aprojection in the form of a lip 170 extending out and down from theengagement wall (the front wall 38 as illustrated) and terminates at adistal end 172. The lip 170 is sized and positioned to fit within thechannel 158. As illustrated, the lip 170 projects out from the upper endof the front wall 38, but could alternatively project from the wall tobe mounted at virtually any location so long as the distal end 172 ofthe lip 170, or any suitable alternative structure, projects into thechannel 158.

Because the height of the distal end 156 with respect to the drawer base24 is greater than the height of the distal end 172 of the lip 170 withrespect to the drawer base 24, the insert is attached to the connector134 by first raising the wall to be connected (the front wall 38 asillustrated) until the distal end 172 of the lip 170 is at a heightgreater than the distal end 156 of the bent wall 154. Next, the distalend 172 is vertically aligned with the channel 158, and the wall issubsequently lowered so that the distal end 172 is inserted in thechannel 158. In one aspect, the height of the channel 158 with respectto the drawer base 24 is less than the height of the distal end 156 withrespect to the insert base 36. Accordingly, the insert 32 can rest flatagainst the drawer base 24 when the distal end 172 is disposed in thechannel.

It should be appreciated that merely preferred embodiments of theinvention and various aspects of the invention have been describedabove. However, many modifications and variations will be apparent tothose skilled in the art, which will be within the spirit and scope ofthe invention. For instance, the while the connector 134 is configuredas a clip in the manner described above, any suitable alternativeapparatus that removably connects an insert to a drawer within thedrawer interior is contemplated by the present invention, as understoodby one having ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the invention shouldnot be limited to the described embodiments. To ascertain the full scopeof the invention, the following claims should be referenced.

1. A drawer organizer assembly configured for insertion into a drawer ofthe type having a drawer base and a drawer wall extending up from thedrawer base, wherein the drawer base and the drawer wall at least inpart define a drawer interior, the organizer comprising: an insert sizedto fit inside the drawer interior, the insert including at least onecompartment configured to receive and store items, the insert furtherdefining an engagement wall; and a connector having a drawer interfaceportion and an insert interface portion, wherein the drawer interfaceportion is configured for attachment to the drawer wall in the interiorof the drawer to secure the connector to the drawer wall, and the insertinterface portion is configured for attachment to the engagement wall ofthe insert.
 2. The drawer organizer assembly as recited in claim 1,wherein the insert interface portion comprises a channel configured toconnect to the engagement wall
 3. The drawer organizer assembly asrecited in claim 2, wherein the channel receives a distal end of theengagement wall.
 4. The drawer organizer assembly as recited in claim 3,wherein the channel is a downwardly facing channel.
 5. The drawerorganizer assembly as recited in claim 4, wherein the channel is definedby a bent wall having a distal end that terminates at a height relativeto the drawer base that is less than the height of the distal end of theengagement wall relative to the drawer base.
 6. The drawer organizerassembly as recited in claim 3, wherein the channel is an upwardlyfacing channel.
 7. The drawer organizer assembly as recited in claim 6,wherein the channel is defined by a bent wall having a distal end thatterminates at a height relative to the drawer base that is greater thanthe height of the distal end of the engagement wall relative to thedrawer base.
 8. The drawer organizer assembly as recited in claim 3,wherein the distal end of the engagement wall comprises an upper end ofthe engagement wall.
 9. The drawer organizer assembly as recited inclaim 3, wherein the distal end comprises a projection extending fromthe engagement wall.
 10. The drawer organizer assembly as recited inclaim 1, wherein the engagement wall comprises a front wall of theinsert.
 11. The drawer organizer assembly as recited in claim 1, whereinthe drawer interface portion is adhesively attached to the drawer. 12.The drawer organizer assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the insertinterface portion defines a clip that interlocks with the engagementwall of the insert.
 13. The drawer organizer assembly as recited inclaim 1, wherein the insert comprises a silverware tray having at leastone divider defining a plurality of compartments configured to receivekitchen implements.
 14. The drawer organizer assembly as recited inclaim 1, wherein the insert interface portion is releasably coupled tothe insert.
 15. A method for connecting an insert within a drawer of thetype having a drawer base and a drawer wall extending up from the baseso as to at least partially define a drawer interior, the methodcomprising the steps of: (A) attaching a connector to the drawer wallsuch that the connector includes an insert interface portion projectinginto the drawer interior; (B) placing an insert into the drawerinterior; and (C) connecting the insert to the insert interface portionof the connector.
 16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein theengagement member at least partially defines a channel, and step (B)further comprises inserting a distal end of an engagement wall of theinsert into the channel.
 17. The method as recited in claim 16, whereinthe insert wall is a front insert wall and the drawer wall is a frontdrawer and the engagement member at least partially defines a channel,and step (C) further comprises raising a rear end of the insert so as tolower the front insert wall, moving the front insert wall into alignmentwith the channel, and lowering the rear end of the insert to move aportion of the insert wall into the channel.
 18. The method as recitedin claim 17, wherein step (A) further comprises adhesively attaching theconnector to the drawer wall.
 19. The method as recited in claim 15,wherein the engagement member at least partially defines anupwardly-facing channel and the insert wall includes a downwardlyextending lip, and step (C) further comprises lowering the lip into thechannel.
 20. The drawer organizer assembly as recited in claim 15,wherein the insert comprises a silverware tray having at least onedivider defining a plurality of compartments configured to receivekitchen implements.